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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23669857">The Practical Joker</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DominatorBot/pseuds/DominatorBot'>DominatorBot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wander Over Yonder (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:15:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,053</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23669857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DominatorBot/pseuds/DominatorBot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a practical joker on the loose.  And they are driving the Villains nuts with their antics.<br/>Meanwhile, Wander and Sylvia come across a mysterious red jewel that has a bad affect on Wander.<br/>It's up to Sylvia to save him but she can't do it alone.  But is there someone that can help her...?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Practical Joker</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=GaelicRocks">GaelicRocks</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>Wander Over Yonder</h1><p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>This story is dedicated to the sweet and kind GaelicRocks who has always been a great supporter of my work.<br/>Thank you.</i>
  </p>
</div>Lord Hater was screaming.  It was a rage the Watchdogs were all too familiar with.  But there was no telling what had set him off until he came storming through the ship, ranting about it.  Watchdog Brian was in charge of the night shift when he heard his fearless leader angrily stalking the ship.<p>	A chill ran down his back.  Hater had a habit of blaming whomever was in charge.  And on most occasions that would mean Commander Peepers but tonight Brian had the unfortunate timing of picking the night shift on a night when Hater was in a foul mood.</p><p>	He could hear the crackling evil energy getting louder as Hater came closer to the bridge.  Brain was sweating.  The Watchdogs who had the misfortune of getting zapped told stories about how painful it had been.  About how, for hours afterwards, they could still feel evil jolts shoot through their bodies.  Their vision would be blurry and their reflexes would be off.</p><p>	Brain had no intention of going through all that just because Hater was in a bad mood.  And, knowing him, it was probably over something stupid like getting a present from Wander.  Who gets mad at receiving a present?  Brain rolled his eye.</p><p>	The truth, however, was worse than he thought.</p><p>	Hater stormed into the room, green light flashing out.  “Who is responsible for this?”</p><p>	The Watchdogs gasped.  Brain spun the Captain's Chair around to see what all the fuss was about.  His iris shrunk.</p><p>	Hater stood holding an empty pie tray, the contents were on his face and pyjamas.  “Well?”</p><p>	Brain looked around at the other Watchdogs, hoping someone else would take control of the situation.  But none of them did.  He couldn't blame them.  “I'll have the security footage checked for the intruder, sir.  Did you get a look at the culprit before you got hit by the pie?”</p><p>	Hater threw the empty tray onto the ground.  “No!  Of course I didn't.  I was sleeping, I felt something tickle my nose. So when I went to scratch it...”</p><p>	None of the Watchdogs reacted.  Except one.  There was a small but distinct giggle noise coming from behind Brian.  He didn't have to look to know who it was.  Frank was always getting into trouble from his sense of humour.  He was also a big fan of Wander.</p><p>	Hater zapped him.</p><p>	“You!  Watchdog!”  Hater pointed at Brian, electricity still wrapped around his gloved hand.  Brain gulped.  “Find out who did this immediately!”</p><p>	“But, sir, it will take time to...”</p><p>	Hater's eyes flared up.  There was a storm in there.</p><p>	Brain was going to explain that going through all the security footage will be a long process when something caught his eye.  The circular pie tray was on the floor with the base turned upward, revealing a yellow star symbol.</p><p>	“Sir, look!”  Brian pointed at the try.</p><p>	Hater looked down and saw the yellow star.  There was no mistaking what it was.  Wander has the exact same one on his large green hat.</p><p>	In his mind, Brain counted down the seconds to when Hater would shout...</p><p>	“WANDER!”</p><p>	At that Commander Peepers came charging onto the bridge.  “Sir, what happened?”</p><p>	“That idiot Wander made a fool out of me, again!”</p><p>	Peepers saw the pie tray on the floor and the remains on Hater and pieced together what had happened.  “Sir, it's obviously just trying to get a rise out of you.”</p><p>	“Well it's working!”</p><p>	“The best thing for you to do is to not acknowledge it.  Pretend like it never happened.”</p><p>	“I can't do that!  Wander has gone too far this time.  I'm going to find him and I am going to end him.”  Hater yelled.</p><p>	Peepers sighed.  No matter, he thought to himself, In a few days he'll forget all about it and go back to conquering planets.</p><p>	Hater pushed passed Peepers and was nearly out the door when he suddenly slipped on a banana peel, crashed into the slightly open door and got drenched in water.  There was a loud Clang! as a metal bucket landed on his head.</p><p>	Hater was shaking with rage.  The Watchdogs huddled together, bracing themselves for the inevitable outburst.</p><p>	Not far from Hater and the Watchdogs there was a creature hiding in the shadows, giggling to herself.</p><p> </p><p>The Practical Joker</p><p> </p><p>The Black Cube of Darkness was draining the soul of the mail-man, who kept putting his mail next door, when suddenly her felt something strike him from behind.  He turned around to see a teen-aged kid staring at him.  “You have a 'Kick Me' sign on you.”  The kid pulled the sticker off and showed it to The Black Cube of Darkness.  There was a yellow star on it.</p><p>	 The Black Cube of Darkness muttered something in Latin.</p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>The Evil Sandwich was preparing another invasion.  His fleet of ships were on stand-by, ready to receive his orders.  He opened his slices of bread to announce the invasion when a glob of glue flew out from the shadows and landed right in his mouth.<p>	“Hmm-mmm mhhmfmm.”  He bounced about on his plate, unable to speak properly.  He tried to see who dared to do this to him but all he saw was an empty glue bottle with a very familiar star on it.  The sandwich growled.</p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>Emperor Awesome was partying the night away.  His speakers were cranked up to eleven and the music was thumping so hard the world was beginning to crack.  “How you digging this party?”  He called out to the citizens.  They screamed in terror.<p>	“I knew you'd like it.”  He laughed and danced.</p><p>	The music started to fade away and the screen behind him had changed.  The image of him dancing was replaced by a older, feminine version of Emperor Awesome.  “Boy!  What did I tell you about staying up late?”</p><p>	“Mom?!”  Awesome looked behind him and saw an enlarged version of his mother towering over him.</p><p>	“And are you destroying this planet?  What would your father think of you?”</p><p>	“Mom, I'm in the middle of something.  We can talk about this later.”</p><p>	“We can talk about this right now.”</p><p>	From the left side of the stage another Shark-person appeared.  Awesome's mother stomped her way over to him, with a look that made Awesome feel small.  “I'm very disappointed in you.”</p><p>	“Mom, please not in front of them.”  He indicated the crowd.</p><p>	“It's the only way you'll learn.”  Without arguing Awesome bent over.  And his mom spanked him.  The crowd roared with laughter.</p><p>	“How did you know I was here?”</p><p>	“I received a letter.”  She pulled the envelope from a pocket and showed it to him.  The yellow star was unmistakable.</p><p>	Awesome was very angry.  “Wander.”</p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>Gaelic was hiding in the crowd, watching as Emperor Awesome being humiliated by his mother for the whole world to see.  “Ha ha!  Serves you right, ya big dumb jerk!”  Her ears flicked from the excitement.  She was on a roll.  That's three villains she embarrassed with her unique talent.  The previous Galaxy she was in didn't see the funny side of her practical jokes.  They had asked her to leave.  Oh well, not everybody is born with a sense of humour.<p>	“Wander is that you?”  One of the locals, a small mechanical girl, came up to her.</p><p>	“Who's Wander?”  She asked.</p><p>	“Oh, my apologies.  You just look so similar to a friend of mine.”</p><p>	Her ears perked up.  There's someone in this Galaxy like her?  Did they also like playing jokes on bad guys?  “What can you tell me about this Wander?”</p><p>	“Well...”</p><p>	When the stranger finished her description Gaelic could feel her tails twitch with excitement.  She had to find Wander.  Her mind raced with all the possibilities.  By teaming up with Wander she could get up to more elaborate pranks.  More humiliating pranks.  She smiled to herself.  This was going to be so much fun.</p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>“It's such a beautiful day, wouldn't you agree Syl?”  The two friends were walking on an open field made up of purple grass.  The sun was shining and the birds were singing.  Wander couldn't resist.  He plucked his banjo out from his hat and starting playing a tune.<p>	Sylvia was a few steps ahead of Wander, getting a better look at what was ahead of them.  In the distance she could see a rocky formation.  It looked like a bunch of boulders were scattered about the place.  But that wasn't what caught he attention.  In between the rocks she could make out a faint red glow.  There was no telling what it was from this distance but she had to admit that she was curious.</p><p>	“Hey Wander, wanna check out those rocks?  I think there might be something there.”</p><p>	“Oh, what can you see?”</p><p>	“I can't tell, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious.”</p><p>	“Well no sense in taking our time.”  He hopped on to Sylvia's saddle.  “Let's see what you've discovered!”</p><p>	Sylvia picked up her pace, drawing closer to the gathering of rocks and that curious red glow.</p><p>	Even when they were almost there she still couldn't tell where exactly the glow was coming from.  But one thing she did notice was a sense of dread as she got closer.  Like her mind was telling her to stop and turn back.  Sylvia hated to ignore that part of her.  But she had Wander by her side and that was comforting.</p><p>	“I don't know about this, Syl.  I'm getting bad feelings from this place.”</p><p>	Sylvia felt both relieved and worried.  Relieved that she wasn't imaging things and worried that they were heading towards something very bad.</p><p>	“You too?  Maybe we should turn back?”</p><p>	“Yeah, I think you're right.”</p><p>	That was when Sylvia noticed a big problem.  She couldn't turn back.  It was like she was being pulled by an invisible rope.  She tried moving her body left and right but nothing changed.  They were close to the rocks now.</p><p>	“Sylvia, what are you doing?”  Wander pulled at her reigns but to no effect.  Then he, too, felt the invisible rope.  “That's not good.”</p><p>	“Ya think?”  Sylvia grimaced as she fought hard against the unseen force dragging them in.  They passed between several rocks, closing in on the red glow.  When they finally reached the source of the glow they stopped.  Sylvia felt like her feet had been glued to the ground.</p><p>	In front of them lay a red jewel, about the size of Sylvia's fist.  Wander then jumped down from her back and walked over to the jewel.</p><p>	“Wander, don't!”  But he didn't respond.  Instead he reached out towards the mysterious jewel and picked it up.  He brought it up to his eyes to get a better look at it.  Inside he could see a raging fire.  It called out to him.  The fire dimmed inside the jewel and reappeared in Wander's eyes.</p><p>	“Wander, are you okay?”</p><p>	The jewel slipped from his hands.  It landed back where he had picked it up, like it never moved.  But Sylvia noticed that the glow was gone.  Then Wander turned around.  Sylvia shivered.</p><p>	“Wander?”</p><p>	His eyes had flames in them and were glowing red.  Sylvia had no idea what had just happened.</p><p>	“Sylvia.”  His voice sounded different, like there was a second, underlying voice under his own.  “I think it's time we brought our friendship to an end!”</p><p>	Before she had a chance to say anything the fire in his eyes glowed brighter and seemed to come straight for her.  Sylvia dived behind one of the many rocks scattered about the area.</p><p>	“Fight it, Wander!  Don't let that thing control you.”</p><p>	“There's nothing controlling me.  I'm free!  Free to conquer this Galaxy like I should have been doing all this time.”</p><p>	“Conquer?  You can't be serious?”</p><p>	“You don't believe me?  I'll prove it to you.”  Wander floated high above the ground.  “Starting with this world.”  A trail of fire appeared behind Wander as he flew back in the direction they had come in, back towards the only city on this planet.</p><p>	“Wander!”  Sylvia cried out after him.</p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>There was silence.  Then a sudden explosion.  Confetti rained from the sky, but this was no celebration.  On the planet Monopolis a bank was being robbed.  The thief detonated the bomb to distract the local police while he made his escape.  But before he was gone he left behind his calling card.  A whoopee cushion with an image of a screw and a ball.<p>	Dr. Screwball Jones carried the sack of money to the rooftop where he kept his ship waiting for him.  He boarded the vessel and powered on the engine, or, at least, he tried to.  The engine wouldn't start.  He tried again but still it wouldn't activate.</p><p>	Feeling aggravated he went outside to see if he could find out what the issue was.  The fan looked fine so he checked the gears that made it turn.  They were covered in chewing gum.</p><p>	“Someone gummed up the works!”  There was no way he could remove it in time.</p><p>	The police kicked in the rooftop door and charged towards him.  “Your days are numbered Screwball.”</p><p>	“Dr. Screwball, but I think I'll drop out early.  Ta ta!”  He said as he leapt off the roof and activated his hidden parachute.  On his way down he saw an furry, orange creature running down the street.  “I'll get you for this Wander!”</p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>Lord Dominator was in a good mood.  She was destroying her third planet today with more still to go.  It felt so good to be productive.  At this rate the whole Galaxy will be completely destroyed sooner than she had expected.<p>	She also had a lot of fun terrorising the locals on each world before cracking the planet in two.  But that also meant she had worked up a sweat.  “Bots, keep an eye on the ship.  I'm going to take a shower.”</p><p>	Dominator stepped into the bathroom and took of her clothes then threw them at a nearby Bot.  “Get these washed.”  The Bot saluted and carried the items to the wash-room.  It placed the armour on a rack and the helmet on a table next to it.</p><p>	While it was busy scrubbing down the armour it failed to notice that it wasn't alone.  Above the Bot, hiding in a vent, was Gaelic.  She opened the cover and dropped down into the room, staying out of the Bot's sight by standing right behind it.</p><p>	The helmet was close enough for her to reach so she snagged it and replaced it with one she made out of cardboard.  With the switch done she slipped out the door and got off the ship as fast as she could.</p><p>	When the ship arrived at the fourth planet of the day Dominator put her newly cleaned suit on with the helmet.  “That's weird, it feels lighter than usual.”  She shrugged.</p><p>	As the destruction was taking place Dominator wanted to join in.  She raised her fist, ready to switch to Armour Mode and launch herself towards the helpless planet.</p><p>	Nothing happened.</p><p>	“What the...?”</p><p>	She tried again.  Still nothing happened.</p><p>	Getting very angry she pulled the helmet from her head to see what was wrong with it.  The horns snapped off.  She was genuinely surprised.  The helmet hit the floor but didn't make the sound she had expected.  Taking a peek inside she saw a crudely drawn star.  Dominator was shaking with rage.  “Wander!”</p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>Gaelic was on the floor laughing with her hands holding her gut and tears in her eyes.  “Aw man, that was too funny!”  She wiped the tears away.  “The Bad Guys in this Galaxy are way more fun to play with than the ones in my last Galaxy.”  She picked herself up off the floor and brushed herself down.  “Okay, that's enough fun and games for a while.”<p>	It was time to find Wander.</p><p>	Using an Orbble Bubble she travelled to many worlds, meeting all kinds of strange but nice people.  Most of them knew who Wander was and had nothing but nice things to say about him but none of them could tell her where he was.</p><p>	He would come and go with his best friend, helping people out as they came and went.  But there was one thing about Wander that she was confused about.  There were stories that said that he would spend a lot of time with the Villains of this Galaxy, and even try to be their friend.</p><p>	Gaelic didn't know what to think about that.  If Wander was like her then why was he hanging out with Bad Guys?  Why wasn't he hitting them with pies?  Or putting itching powder in their clothes?  It never occurred to her to talk to Bad Guys.  Besides, what was there to talk about?  They were bad and needed to be taken down a peg, it's as simple as that.</p><p>	Still, she wanted to find Wander and get the truth from him.</p><p>	Gaelic lost track of the many planets she had visited.  There were so many she was starting to get worried that she would never find Wander.</p><p>	This new planet was different, however.  The only city she could see from orbit was in flames.  People were fleeing the planet in ships and Bubbles.  Well she hasn't found Wander yet but at least there was another Villain for her to humiliate.  And Gaelic so liked humiliating them.</p><p>	She dropped down onto the planet, right in the middle of the blaze.  Most of the population were gone but in the distance she could see two figures.  One was floating high off the ground while the other one was running around, dodging flame attacks from the floating one.  Gaelic was getting mad.  Who does that guy think he is?  She wondered.</p><p>	“Hey!  You dumb bully!  Leave that person alone!”  She ran up to the two fighting figures.  And everything stopped.</p><p>	In front of her was the blue Zbornak she recognised from the stories as Sylvia.  But it was the floating figure that really caught her attention.  He looked almost exactly like her minus the pointy ears and bushy tails.</p><p>	Wander and Sylvia looked at her, then at each other then back at her.  Sylvia was the first to speak.  “Wha...?”</p><p>	Wander, whose voice sounded a bit frightening to Gaelic, said, “Who are you?  Why do you look like me?”</p><p>	“I don't know.”  She looked at Sylvia.  “Why are you attacking your friend?”</p><p>	“She's not my friend.  I don't have any friends.”  Sylvia looked hurt.</p><p>	“That's not what I heard.  I heard you were a kind and helpful soul.  Always thinking of others before thinking of yourself.”</p><p>	“That was the old Wander.  I'm the Bad Wander.”  He grinned at her.  “And I don't care who you are, you will not get in my way.”  He threw a ball of fire at her.  Gaelic was too stunned to move but Sylvia wasn't.  She dove towards Gaelic, knocking into her, sending the two of them tumbling to the ground.</p><p>	“Please tell me you have Orbble Juice.”  Sylvia asked in a hurry.</p><p>	“Sure.”  Gaelic pulled the bottle out.  “There's plenty in it.”</p><p>	“Great, kid.  Get us out of here!”</p><p>	Gaelic did as she asked and encased them in a bubble which Sylvia used to speed away from Bad Wander.</p><p>	“What the flarp was that all about?”  Gaelic didn't usually swear but she thought the situation called for it.</p><p>	“I don't know!  One minute we saw a red jewel and the next Wander was acting all crazy.”  Sylvia sighed.  “I'm sorry, I never thanked you for helping me. Thank you.  The name's Sylvia.”</p><p>	“You're welcome, Sylvia.  My name is Gaelic and I already know who you are, and Wander.  I've heard all the stories.”</p><p>	“Whatever you've heard I can't say if it's true or not.  A lot of what we do tends to get lost in translation.”</p><p>	“I heard you're one of the toughest gals in the Galaxy.  That's amazing.”</p><p>	Sylvia laughed.  “You look and sound just like him.”</p><p>	Gaelic frowned.  She knew it was a compliment but seeing Wander acting evil didn't make it feel like one.</p><p>	“Are you new to the Galaxy?”</p><p>	“Sure am.  I arrived not too long ago.  The last Galaxy I was at didn't appreciate my sense of humour.”</p><p>	“Really?  Why's that?”</p><p>	“I like to play practical jokes on Bad guys and ruining their day.”</p><p>	Sylvia chuckled.  “Wander does something similar.  He wears down the Villains we come across until they realise there's no point in being evil all the time.”</p><p>	“That doesn't sound like fun.”</p><p>	“It has its moments.”</p><p>	“Personally I don't see the point in helping Bad Guys.  They made their choice and I'm going to make them pay for that.”</p><p>	“A long time ago I would have agreed with you.  But Wander showed me that renouncing that life and bettering yourself is always the best solution.  Otherwise nothing will ever change.”<br/>	“Hm, I think I understand.”</p><p>	“I hope so, because I might need your help in getting Wander back.”</p><p>	“Me?  What could I possibly do?”</p><p>	“I don't know.  But if you're anything like him you'll have the best chance out of anybody to help get him back to normal.”</p><p>	Gaelic looked worried.  “I just wanted to make a new friend.”</p><p>	“Just like Wander.”</p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>After Sylvia and Gaelic had gone from the burning planet a streak of fire shot out from the surface and out towards space.  Moments later the Skullship appeared near the ruined planet.<p>	“Where is he?  And why is that planet on fire?”</p><p>	“I don't know, sir.  Scans indicate that there are no people on the surface.  Everyone is gone.”</p><p>	“I swear if this is another stupid practical joke...”</p><p>	“Sir, we have incoming.”</p><p>	Emperor Awesome's stretch limo appeared next to the Skullship.</p><p>	“Awesome!  What are you doing here?”</p><p>	“I'm looking for that furry pipsqueak.  Why are you here?”</p><p>	“Wander's mine, Awesome.  You may as well just go home.”</p><p>	Then they were joined by Sourdough's Flagship.  “What are you idiots doing here?  Where's Wander?”</p><p>	“Why is everyone suddenly looking for Wander?”</p><p>	A small car-sized ship pulled up next to the Skullship.  There was silence as everyone waited to see what was going to happen.  One of the doors opened and out came the Black Cube of Darkness, yelling in Latin.  Dr.  Screwball Jones poked his head out of the open door.  “What is this?  A Bad Guy convention?”</p><p>	“You're here for Wander, aren't you?”  He asked flatly.</p><p>	“Is he here?”</p><p>	Everyone yelled, “No!”</p><p>	Then she turned up.  The most deadly, violent, psychotic Villain to ever come into this Galaxy.  Her ship eclipsed all others.  Everyone remained silent, afraid to say anything to draw her attention.</p><p>	“Where is he?  I'm gonna pulverise that little freak!”</p><p>	“Okay, what's going on?  Why is everybody suddenly after Wander?  I thought that was my thing?”  Hater asked.</p><p>	No one replied.</p><p>	“It's personal.”  Came Sourdough's answer.</p><p>	Everyone else agreed.</p><p>	“So where is he?”  Asked Awesome.</p><p>	Dominator came in with the answer.  “I had the area scanned.  There's a trail leaving the planet.  It's the only lead we have.”</p><p>	“My sensors picked up the same thing.”  Said Sourdough.</p><p>	The Black Cube of Darkness remained silent.</p><p>	“Well what are we waiting for?  Time to make like a banana and split!”  Dr. Screwball Jones shouted at them.</p><p>	“What?  Together?”  asked Hater.</p><p>	 The Black Cube of Darkness yelled in Latin.</p><p>	“He's right.  We should team up this one time, end Wander then go back to fighting each other.”  Sourdough didn't much care for the idea, but it was their best chance to finally rid the Galaxy of that annoying fool.</p><p>	To his surprise they all agreed, except for Dominator.  “I don't need your help.  I'll deal with him myself.”</p><p>	“Good luck with that.”  Awesome retorted.  There was a chorus of gasps as the other Villains couldn't believe Emperor Awesome would dare to talk back to Lord Dominator.</p><p>	So, of course, she blew up his limo.</p><p>	Awesome managed to get out in time and jumped down to the small car that Dr. Screwball Jones was driving.  “Move over banana peel.  I'm taking over this car.”</p><p>	“Suit yourself.”</p><p>	Dominator was the first to leave, followed by Hater, then Sourdough and finally the small car.   The Black Cube of Darkness looked around, realising he got left behind.  He slouched over, sad that he was forgotten.</p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>I'm just a little Black Cube of Darkness<br/>A little Black Cube of Darkness</i>
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>Bad Wander zoomed through the cosmos like an angry shooting star.  He was on a search for his next target.  Another world, full of life, ready for him to burn it all to cinders.  Several of the worlds he passed by were small and mostly empty.  None of them were what he wanted.  His search continued for a while longer until he arrived at the kind of world he was looking for.<p>	It was a planet sized city with buildings covering the entire surface.  All kinds of aliens came and went from the planet.  It was a busy world.  And it was ripe for destruction.</p><p>	He lowered himself down to street level so he could get close to the crowd.</p><p>	“People of this world...”</p><p>	“Hey, it's Wander!”  Someone shouted from the crowd.</p><p>	“Wander!  You're the best!”</p><p>	“Shut up!  I'm not the Wander you remember.”  He pointed at the crowd.</p><p>	“What do you mean?”</p><p>	“Well, let me show you.”  He smiled.</p><p>	Fire shot out from his eyes over the crowd and lighting up the buildings behind them.  Bad Wander laughed as the citizens screamed, trying to get away from him.  He spun in a circle with the flames still coming out of his eyes, setting the whole area around him ablaze.</p><p>	People were running around in all directions, unsure about where they should be going to be safe.  But Bad Wander had other plans.  He wanted to burn the Galaxy away, reduce it to a pile of ashes then move on to the next one.  He will spread his flames throughout the Universe.  And he's going to start with this pathetic world.</p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>Gaelic and Sylvia walked side-by-side inside the Bubble.  “So what have you been doing since you arrived in the Galaxy anyway?”<p>	“I bumped into some of the Bad Guys you have here and played some jokes on them.”</p><p>	“I'm sure they loved that.”  She said sarcastically.</p><p>	“Well that Skeleton Man didn't care about getting a pie in the face.”</p><p>	Sylvia laughed.  “Serves him right.”</p><p>	“That's what I said.”</p><p>	“Who else did you get?”</p><p>	Gaelic went through the list.</p><p>	“Wait, you stole Dominator's helmet?”</p><p>	“Not exactly stole.  I replaced her real one with a cardboard one and hid the real one on her ship.”</p><p>	“But she doesn't know it's there.”</p><p>	“Nope.”</p><p>	“Gaelic I don't know if that's crazy or genius.  But it sure is funny though.”  They laughed together.</p><p>	Gaelic then noticed the planet they were heading towards was glowing.  “What's that?”  She pointed it out to Sylvia.</p><p>	“Oh, grop.”</p><p>	The closer they got the more damage they saw.  Bad Wander was turning the planet into a fireball.  “Oh this is not good.  We gotta find a way tos top him.”</p><p>	“But how?  I don't even know him.”</p><p>	“We have to try something!”</p><p>	Sylvia took the Bubble towards the planet's surface, avoiding the rising flames as she landed on an empty street.  Bad Wander was above them, torching more buildings.</p><p>	Gaelic looked at Sylvia and tossed her the bottle of Orbble juice, “You get the folks off this planet while I keep him busy.”</p><p>	“How are you going to do that?”</p><p>	“Hey, jerk!”  Gaelic called out.</p><p>	Bad Wander growled at her.</p><p>	“Yeah, you!  Bet ya can't catch me!”  She ran off down the street, leaving Sylvia behind.</p><p>	Sylvia shook her head.  The more she found out about Gaelic the more she saw Wander in her.</p><p>	Gaelic sprinted away from Bad Wander, hopping from side to side, avoiding the fireballs he was throwing at her.  Soon she found herself in a part that was untouched by flames and ran into the nearest building.  It was time to play hide and seek.</p><p>	Bad Wander hovered inches above the ground.  His fiery eyes scanned the area around him.  She couldn't have gotten far.</p><p>	“You're getting hot!  Well, I suppose that's pretty obvious.”</p><p>	“Very funny.  I'll be sure to make you suffer before I kill you.”</p><p>	“Only if you catch me first.”</p><p>	He tried to pinpoint her location when she talked back to him but the echoes were distracting him.  So he continued searching.</p><p>	“You're piping hot!”</p><p>	Bad Wander sneered.  She had to be close.  Her voice was loud enough that she could have been behind him.  His eyes widened.  He spun around.</p><p>	“Ya got me.”  She said before throwing a bucket of water at him.  Bad Wander screamed as the flames in his eyes went out.</p><p>	“How dare you?”</p><p>	“You need to cool off, Wander.”</p><p>	Then she saw it, for a brief second she saw a desperate plea for help in Wander's eyes.  The real Wander was still in there.  And water was the key.  But was it enough?  The look was gone as quickly as it appeared and the flames returned.</p><p>	Gaelic stepped back and felt the heat from the fire behind her.  She had cornered herself.</p><p>	“Looks like your luck has run out.”</p><p>	She stared hard at him, ready to start the chase again when she saw something appear in the sky above the planet.  Then another and another.  Bad Wander saw her distracted look and followed her gaze to see a few of the Galaxy's Villains coming towards the planet.</p><p>	Lord Hater was the first to land on the planet, followed by Sourdough.  Then a car-like ship pulled up and out stepped Emperor Awesome and Dr. Screwball Jones.</p><p>	“Wait, there's two of them?”  Lord Hater did a double-take.</p><p>	Gaelic and Bad Wander stared at the Villains.</p><p>	“What is this, another one of your tricks?”  Sourdough asked.</p><p>	Bad Wander wrapped himself in flames.</p><p>	Lord Hater rolled his eyes.  “Oh, sure.  Wander has suddenly turned bad, I totally believe that.”  A massive flame engulfed Hater, scorching his cloak and bones.</p><p>	The other Villains froze.  They looked at each other and silently agreed to attack Wander.  Dr. Screwball Jones pulled out a revolver shaped water-pistol and squirted at Wander.  The water didn't spray very far.  Awesome leaped up and over Wander to get behind him while Sourdough had one of his Beefeaters charge him from the front.</p><p>	As they charged from both angles bad Wander merely rose higher into the air, letting Awesome and the Beefeater crash into each other.  He then sent a flame towards Sourdough, turning the Evil Sandwich into Evil Toast.</p><p>	Gaelic took advantage of the distraction and ran back towards Sylvia.  She had a plan to save Wander but she needed her help.  Thankfully she was back where she left her, still helping those left behind get off the burning planet with Bubbles.</p><p>	“Sylvia!”</p><p>	“Gaelic!  Thank grop you're okay!”</p><p>	“Some of the Bad Guys I annoyed have turned up.  They're keeping Bad Wander busy.”</p><p>	“Good.  I'm nearly done here.”</p><p>	“Great, because I may have an idea.”</p><p>	The Villains lay scattered on the floor.  Too hurt to get up and fight.  Bad Wander laughed at them.</p><p>	“Wander?”</p><p>	He looked up at the new arrival.  Lord Dominator.  If he could destroy here then there would be no one in this Galaxy that could stop him.</p><p>	“I didn't appreciate your little joke!”</p><p>	“What are you talking about?”</p><p>	“Replacing my helmet!  I spent hours trying to find it.”</p><p>	“I had nothing to do with that.  It was probably that other one that looks like me.”</p><p>	“What kind of stupid game are you playing?  Another one like you?”</p><p>	Gaelic and Sylvia ran towards Bad Wander.</p><p>	“There really are two of you?”</p><p>	And without warning Gaelic threw a custard pie at Bad Wander, hitting him right in the face.  Dominator laughed.  But Sylvia and Gaelic knew what was coming, wrapped up in a Bubble and took off.</p><p>	Bad Wander wiped the pie from his face.  The flames in his eyes growing more intense.  He saw they direction they were going in and launched himself towards them.</p><p>	“You're not running from me!  Get back here!”  Dominator moved her ship to follow him.</p><p>	Sylvia was running as fast as she could.  Gaelic had told her what her plan was but that plan didn't involve Dominator.  If they were going to pull this off they had to be quick about it.</p><p>	She glanced behind her to see how close Bad Wander was to them.  Too close.  But she was also close to her destination.  A world covered in water.  Now it was time for the tricky part.  Sylvia split away from Gaelic and lured bad Wander away from her.  This plan relied on him taking the bait.  Sylvia turned her head to see if he did.  And sure enough he ignored the other Bubble and came straight for her.</p><p>	She took a deep breath.  It was up to Gaelic now.</p><p>	Bad Wander was only a few feet away from her when Gaelic tackled him from above, bursting the Bubbles and tumbling down to the water planet below.</p><p>	Gaelic held on tight to Bad Wander's body, not letting go even as the flames around him were hurting her.  She closed her eyes and held her breath as they slammed into the water.</p><p>	Bad Wander struggled to get away from her.  The water had driven away the flames from his eyes but he still tried to shove her away.  Gaelic continued to hold on tight.  This was her best chance to save Wander and she was going to do it no matter what.</p><p>	Eventually the struggling stopped, and Wander stopped moving.  Gaelic opened her eyes to see a red glow slip out of one of Wander's eyes and shot up into the sky, disappearing among the stars.  She did it.  Then everything went dark.</p><p>	When she opened her eyes again she was inside a Bubble with Wander and Sylvia.  And Lord Dominator's ship was as close as it could get.</p><p>	“Where is my helmet?”</p><p>	“I really don't know, Dominator.  Maybe I can come aboard and help you look for it?”</p><p>	“Wander, don't do that.”</p><p>	Gaelic got up to her feet.  “If I tell you where it is will you let us go?”</p><p>	“And what are you supposed to be, his sister?”</p><p>	She looked at Wander.  “No, but from what I've heard about him, I'd be honoured to be his friend.”</p><p>	“Ugh, fine, I'll let you go, just stop with the gross, mushy stuff.”</p><p>	“It's in a vent in the wash-room.”</p><p>	“You better hope we don't meet again because I swear it will be the last time.”</p><p>	“We'll see.”</p><p>	And with that they were gone.</p><div class="center">
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</div>Back on a safe planet the three of them made a camp and sat around the small fire.  Sylvia prepared some food for them to eat.  “Thanks, Sylvia.”<p>	“I need to thank you too, Gaelic.  If not for you I might have stayed as Bad Wander.”</p><p>	“You're welcome.”  She smiled at him.</p><p>	“Crazy how similar we look.  I don't think I've ever met any one that looked like me before.”</p><p>	“Same here, but I'm glad I did.  I feel less alone now.”</p><p>	“You can stay with us if you like?”</p><p>	“Nah, you and Sylvia have a tight bond.  I don't want to get in the way of that.”</p><p>	“Oh, nonsense.  We always welcome new travelling partners.”</p><p>	“Thank you for the offer.  But I think I'll travel the Galaxy some more.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll find a friend like Sylvia and we will go on our own adventures.”</p><p>	“Well if you ever change your mind you're welcome to come with us.”</p><p>	“Thanks.”  She got up and stretched.  “The food was wonderful Sylvia.”</p><p>	“Take care, Gaelic.”</p><p>	“I will.”</p><p>	“You're a brave, kind soul, Gaelic.”  Wander got up to hug her.  “Don't be a stranger.”</p><p>	With tears forming in her eyes Gaelic whispered back, “I won't.”</p><p>	She took out her bottle of Orbble Juice, created a Bubble and waved good-bye as she headed back into space.  Ready to get back to her own adventures.</p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>The End</i>
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